Beer bottles didn't have beer, says CBP
January 18, 2011 11:31 PM
By LAURA B. MARTINEZ, The Brownsville Herald

A bicycle ride north across the Gateway International Bridge landed a Mexican national in jail after authorities determined he was carrying beer bottles believed to be filled with liquid methamphetamine.

The 46-year-old man, whose name was not released, remains in federal custody following his arrest Monday, according to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officers detained the man — reportedly a resident of Brownsville — at the bridge, where a primary inspection of the bottles showed discrepancies in the liquid, the press release said. A secondary inspection and testing of the liquid determined they contained what was thought to be liquid methamphetamine.

The street value of the drug could not be determined until it is weighed and its purity is determined, authorities said.

The man’s arrest on smuggling illegal narcotics was one of three made by CBP officers over the weekend.

Cocaine & Pot bust at B&M

On Sunday, two Brownsville residents were arrested after they tried to smuggle marijuana and cocaine across the B&M Bridge in separate incidents, the press release said.

Mario Alberto Ochoa, 26, was taken into custody after he allegedly attempted to smuggle 117 pounds of marijuana at the bridge, the release said.

The marijuana, in 16 bricks, was found hidden inside the tires of the 1998 Ford Explorer which Ochoa was driving, the release said. The drugs have an estimated street value of $117,200.

Woman busted with cocaine

Also on Sunday, 27-year-old Juleana Blanco was arrested after she allegedly tried to cross the bridge with 14.7 pounds of cocaine, the press release said.

When initially questioned by CBP officers Blanco gave conflicting statements as to who owned the vehicle and the purpose of her visit to Mexico, according to court documents.

She was referred to secondary inspection where officers found six bundles of cocaine hidden underneath the floorboard of the 2007 Mercury Mountaineer she was driving, the press release said.

The cocaine has an estimated street value of $470,400.

Ochoa and Blanco remain in the custody of U.S. Marshals.

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